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Bad timing! German finance minister gets caught hiding his watch on TV

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

BERLIN — German Finance Minister Christian Lindner was spotted putting on his luxury wristwatch at the end of a TV talk show appearance, leading to accusations from political rivals that he was trying to disguise his wealth. Lindner, who leads the business-friendly Free Democrats, appeared on German public broadcaster ZDF’s talk show “maybrit illner” last week. When the credits started rolling at the end of the show, the Porsche-driving finance minister pulled out a wristwatch that looked like his Rolex Milgauss, prices of which can start in the high four figures.Both the finance ministry and Lindner’s spokesperson declined to comment and refused to answer why Lindner did not wear his watch during the broadcast, but then put it on at the end. French President Emmanuel Macron faced similar scrutiny last month, when he was spotted covertly taking off his watch in the middle of a TV appearance.A staffer from “maybritt illner“‘s editorial office told POLITI...

US pledges to keep pumping natural gas to Europe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

BRUSSELS — The United States promised Tuesday to keep sending large supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to EU ports this year as the Continent aims to continue weaning itself off Russian energy supplies. “Over the past year, the United States and Europe have thrown our energy security cooperation into even higher gear,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the EU capital for a summit with his EU counterpart Josep Borrell. The bloc last year imported 56 billion cubic meters (bcm) of U.S. LNG, more than double the previous year’s level. The U.S. pledged that it will send “at least 50 bcm” to Europe this year.American LNG was crucial in staving off a winter energy emergency as Russia throttled its natural gas deliveries. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia accounted for over 40 percent of the EU’s gas demand, but that’s now fallen to about 12 percent.The EU has seen gas prices steadily drop thanks to increa...

Community, law enforcement celebrate life of Randolph police sergeant who died following Marathon shootout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

Community members in Randolph remembered a fallen hero in a unique way this week.Police joined family and friends of the late Boston Police Sergeant Dennis ‘DJ’ Simmonds at the Randolph High School Alumni Basketball Game, celebrating Simmonds on his birthday at a gym named in his honor.Following the Boston Marathon bombing, Sgt. Simmonds was injured in 2013 during the shootout with the Tsarnaev brothers in Watertown when an explosive device detonated near him. A year later, he died from a brain aneurysm linked to those injuries.Since his loss, community members and law enforcement have continued to honor his memory, including dedications such as the gym at Randolph HS and a playground in Randolph, where Simmonds grew up.According to the Boston Police Department, the Simmonds Family Foundation in Dennis’ name provides scholarships to Randolph HS graduates who pursue degrees in criminal justice and law enforcement. Donations from this week’s event also went to ...

Bill Belichick reportedly shopped Patriots QB Mac Jones to 4 teams in trade talks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

The Bill Belichick-Mac Jones relationship soured over the course of the Patriots’ tumultuous 2022 season.And according to one report, their time together may be over for good.Belichick has shopped Jones to multiple teams this offseason in trade talks, per Pro Football Talk. The report cites the Raiders, Texans, Buccaneers and Commanders as potential landing spots. It’s unclear what the Patriots would be seeking in return for Jones, who has started every game the past two seasons when healthy.Last week at the NFL owners meetings, Belichick was asked about Jones possibly being in a competition with backup Bailey Zappe for the starting job. He said: “Well, everybody will get a chance to play. We’ll play the best player.”Hours later, Patriots owner Robert Kraft endorsed Jones as the team’s starting quarterback and noted he struggled under a remade offensive coaching staff led by Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.“I’m a big fan of Mac,” Kraft told reporters....

Finland joins NATO, doubling border with Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

Finland has officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, becoming the 31st country to do so and effectively doubling the NATO border with Russia in the process.“I’m tempted to say this is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he, once again here, precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russia’s aggression,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday before accepting the documentation which grants the northern European country membership in the strategic alliance.In joining NATO, Finland gains the protections provided by the treaty’s Article 5, which states that an attack on any member country will be treated as an attack on all alliance members.Russia’s unlawful invasion of neighboring Ukraine, which began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea but exploded into full scale war in February of 2022, is causing countries to consider their own borders and fueling the push to join the treaty organization, Blinken said.“...

Services for Mel King set for early next week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

Longtime Boston activist and former state representative Mel King, who died last Tuesday at 94, will be remembered next week with a wake and funeral service in the South End.Though he lost the 1983 mayor’s race to his former House colleague, Ray Flynn, King’s groundbreaking campaign marked the first time a Black candidate advanced to the final mayoral ballot in Boston. He remained active as a community organizer.A public viewing and visitation is set for Monday, April 10 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with an opportunity for “witnesses from the community” from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.The funeral will be held Tuesday, April 11 at 12 noon. The family has invited guests to don bow ties “as a tribute to Mr. King.”Both events will take place at the Union United Methodist Church, 485 Columbus Ave., with plans to also broadcast Tuesday’s funeral on Zoom.– Sam Doran / SHNS

Steidler: Give Postal Workers Tasers — for Their Safety and Ours

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

America’s rising, out-of-control crime wave claims a growing number of Postal Service workers as victims of robberies, beatings and even murder. It is time to fight back and arm at least some of them with tasers. Federal law should also be changed to allow trained postal workers to carry guns.In bold and vicious ways, postal carriers are being attacked for the keys to blue mailboxes and for mail itself, which has large amounts of ATM cards, financial assets, and personal information that can be used for identity theft.On February 27, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) alerted financial institutions on the nationwide surge in check fraud schemes involving the mail.“Criminals have been increasingly targeting the U.S. Mail and United States Postal Service mail carriers since the COVID-19 pandemic to commit check fraud,” said FinCEN. “Criminals typically steal personal checks, business checks, tax refund checks, and checks related to government assis...

Lauder family pledges $200M to its Alzheimer’s research work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

NEW YORK — The sons of cosmetics giant Estée Lauder, along with her four grandchildren, pledged $200 million Tuesday to the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, a nonprofit the family founded to support research into finding a cure for the disease.Leonard and Ronald Lauder founded the organization in 1998 in honor of their mother, who had Alzheimer’s as did other members of her family, said Mark Roithmayr, the CEO of ADDF.“They have collectively made this family gift to see through the work of the next 10 to 15 years to finish off what Estée started,” said Roithmayr.Starting with a $100 million gift from their mother, the Lauder sons chose to invest in early research of potential treatments using what they called “venture philanthropy,” meaning any returns on their investments were put toward future research. The family also pledges to cover the organization’s expenses so all outside donations go entirely to funding research, Roithmayr said.The ADDF will receive the pledged $200 m...

Quebec shipyard formally added to federal shipbuilding plan after lobbying, delays

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

Ottawa and Quebec shipyard Chantier Davie finally have a deal, after years of lobbying followed by years of delays.The federal government is formally adding Davie to its multi-billion-dollar ship procurement plan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday morning during an event at the shipyard in Lévis, Que.Negotiations will now begin around the construction of seven much-needed new icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard, Trudeau said.“We’re announcing that our government has reached an agreement with Chantier Davie for the shipyard to become the third strategic partner under the national shipbuilding strategy,” Trudeau said.“This means that we’re officially starting negotiations for contracts that include the construction of six icebreakers and one polar icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard.”Tuesday’s deal is the result of a heavy lobbying effort by the shipyard and Quebec government after Davie was originally excluded from the ...

Credit Suisse investors slam failures as chairman apologizes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:21 GMT

ZURICH (AP) — Credit Suisse shareholders on Tuesday upbraided the Swiss bank’s leaders for years of mismanagement, scandal and obfuscation that sent its stock price into the gutter, while executives apologized and insisted that the only way forward for the once-venerable lender was a government-engineered takeover by rival UBS. A largely polite — if at times boisterous, emotional, angry and even humorous — mood pervaded at the first in-person shareholder meeting in four years and likely the last in the bank’s 167-year history: Credit Suisse is set to be swallowed by its crosstown competitor in the coming months in a deal that was forced through without a shareholder vote. Despite speech after speech airing concerns ranging from Switzerland’s role in global finance to environmental impact to wiped-out pension savings, shareholders narrowly approved a compensation plan for last year that will pay out millions to executives and board members. Investors also reelected board ...